Enterprise wide system and methods for configuring, diagnosing, and updating appliances

ABSTRACT

A system and methods to provide appliance field support personnel with a tool that, together with proper interface modules, simplifies the execution of diagnostic procedures and provides an easy way to configure, reconfigure, or update electronic boards in the home on a client side of an enterprise wide system. The electronic boards serve as electronic controllers in the appliances and are programmable generic service boards. With such a system, it is possible to update and re-configure electronic boards and interact directly with an electronic controller of an appliance while an appliance is operating. Software, configuration data, and control data are downloaded from a server-side configuration of the enterprise wide system to update the electronic boards.

This U.S. patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/117,654 filed on Nov. 25,2008 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Certain embodiments relate to enterprise wide solutions. Moreparticularly, certain embodiments relate to an enterprise wide systemand methods for configuring, diagnosing, and updating appliances.

BACKGROUND

The servicing and repair of home appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers, and other such appliances hasoften presented many logistical, cost, and customer satisfactionchallenges. From diagnosing a problem, ordering spare parts, andactually fixing the problem, the cost, time, and labor associated withsuch activities has been a burden on both the customer and the applianceproviding enterprise.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, andproposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the presentinvention as set forth in the remainder of the present application withreference to the drawings.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention comprise a system and methods toprovide appliance field support personnel with a tool that, togetherwith proper interface modules, simplifies the execution of diagnosticprocedures and provides an easy way to configure, reconfigure, or updateelectronic boards in the home. The electronic boards serve as electroniccontrollers in the appliances and are programmable generic serviceboards. With such a system, it is possible to update and re-configureelectronic boards and interact directly with an electronic controller ofan appliance while an appliance is operating.

The system includes a client software application allowing configurationof generic electronic control boards to create a spare electronic boardfor a specified appliance whenever repairing the appliance requires thereplacement of an electronic control board. The client softwareapplication also allows updates and patches to be applied to the boardwithout replacing the physical board in order to satisfy customercomplaints. The client software application also provides automaticidentification of an appliance, display of internal parameters, anddiagnosis of the appliance. Diagnostic procedures may be launched andsubsequent alarm codes are described in a clear textual format whichhelps avoid having to refer to service manuals.

The system may result in less repeated repair calls, less spare partsrequired in the field, a higher quality of repair, more accuratediagnosis of faults, less cost, and automatic data collection aboutservice activities. The system may further result in less client visitsrequired, higher customer satisfaction, and faster response times.

An embodiment of the present invention comprises an enterprise widesystem to provide appliance field support for a plurality of appliancetypes. The enterprise wide system includes a client-side configurationincluding a portable field computer having a client software applicationresiding thereon providing a universal user interface which is commonacross all appliance types of the enterprise wide system. Theclient-side configuration also includes an appliance capable ofoperatively communicating with the portable field computer and having aprogrammable generic service board capable of being programmed for anyappliance type of the enterprise wide system. The enterprise wide systemfurther includes a server-side configuration including a web server, acentral system database server operatively connected to the web server,a product software storage (PSS) database server operatively connectedto the central system database server, and a technical documentationsystem (TDS) database server operatively connected to the central systemdatabase server. The enterprise wide system also includes a networkcapable of communicatively connecting the portable field computer of theclient-side configuration to the web server of the server-sideconfiguration.

Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a client-sideconfiguration of an enterprise wide system to provide appliance fieldsupport. The client-side configuration includes a portable fieldcomputer capable of accessing a web server of a server-sideconfiguration of the enterprise wide system via a network. Theclient-side configuration also includes a client software applicationresiding on the portable field computer and includingcomputer-executable instructions providing a uniform user interfacewhich is independent of an appliance type under test and which is commonacross all appliances of the enterprise wide system. The client-sideconfiguration further includes an appliance capable of operativelycommunicating with the portable field computer, wherein the applianceincludes a programmable generic service board capable of beingprogrammed for any appliance type of the enterprise wide system. Theprogrammable generic service board includes reprogrammable memories. Theclient-side configuration may also include an appliance connection kitcapable of being used to operatively connect the portable field computerto the programmable generic service board of the appliance to facilitatecommunicating. In accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the portable field computer communicates wirelessly with theappliance. However, in accordance with other embodiments, the portablefield computer may communicate via wired means, or wirelessly, with theappliance using any of many different types of technologies. Theportable field computer is capable of operatively interacting with theprogrammable generic service board of the appliance while the applianceis operating. Also, the portable field computer is further capable ofdownloading any of software, control data, and configuration datadirectly from a web server of a server-side configuration of theenterprise wide system via a network. Furthermore, the portable fieldcomputer is capable of being used to select to diagnose the appliance orto select to configure the programmable generic service board of theappliance. The portable field computer is also capable of automaticallyidentifying the appliance when operatively connected thereto. The clientsoftware application includes computer-executable instructions providinga monitor form capable of being displayed by the portable field computerto show a current state of the appliance. The client softwareapplication also includes computer-executable instructions providing atroubleshooting procedure and for displaying a series of dialog boxesthat guide a user towards an actual reason for a detected fault. Theclient software application further includes computer-executableinstructions providing a graph form capable of being displayed by theportable field computer to show an evolution, over time, of at least onerelevant parameter during diagnostic operations. Furthermore, the clientsoftware application may include computer-executable instructionsproviding an update dialog box capable of being displayed by theportable field computer to facilitate the updating of the programmablegeneric service board with any of software, control data, andconfiguration data from a web server of a server-side configuration ofthe enterprise wide system via a network. The portable field computer isalso capable of reporting service information back to a web server of aserver-side configuration of the enterprise wide system via a network.The portable field computer is further capable of receiving instructionsfrom a web server of a server-side configuration of the enterprise widesystem via a network instructing a user of the portable field computerto perform certain actions to verify malfunctioning of the appliance.

A further embodiment of the present invention comprises a server-sideconfiguration of an enterprise wide system to provide appliance fieldsupport. The server-side configuration includes a web server, serving asa portal site, capable of being accessed by a portable field computer ofa client-side configuration of the enterprise wide system via a network.The server-side configuration also includes a first database serveroperatively connected to the web server, a second database serveroperatively connected to the first database server, and a third databaseserver operatively connected to the first database server. The firstdatabase server is a central system database server storing at least oneof appliance software updates, appliance configuration data, andappliance control data. The second database server is a product softwarestorage (PSS) database server. The PSS database server is a SQL databaseserver capable of receiving and storing data for programmable genericservice boards from factory personnel and research and developmentpersonnel throughout the enterprise wide system. The PSS database serverstores data for each manufactured appliance of the enterprise widesystem, wherein the data includes at least firmware and configurationfiles. The third database server is a technical documentation system(TDS) database server. The TDS database server is a SQL database servercapable of receiving technical documentation of appliances from at leastone factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory of theenterprise wide system and from at least one research and developmentcomputer-based apparatus located at a research and development facilityof the enterprise wide system via a second network. The server-sideconfiguration may further include at least one factory computer-basedapparatus located at a factory of the enterprise wide system andoperatively connected to at least one of the second database server andthe third database server via a second network. The server-sideconfiguration may also include at least one research and developmentcomputer-based apparatus located at a research and development facilityof the enterprise wide system and operatively connected to at least oneof the second database server and the third database server via a secondnetwork. The web server includes a web service portion allowing clients,via portable field computers, to download data and software updates fromthe first database server. The server-side configuration provides anopen architecture through integration with web services and provides anextensible test executive through .NET plugins. The server-sideconfiguration may also include at least one firewall and at least onevirtual private network (VPN) operatively implemented to provideprotection against unauthorized electronic access to the server-sideconfiguration of the enterprise wide system. The web server hosts a website allowing both individual technicians and service centers to requestlicenses, and allowing administrators to manage licenses, accounts,roles, and logs.

Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a method toprovide appliance field support for an enterprise wide system having aclient side and a server side. The method includes operativelyconnecting a portable field computer to a generic electronic controlboard of an appliance and operatively connecting the portable fieldcomputer to a network on a client side of the enterprise wide system.The method also includes downloading at least one of configuration dataand control data from a server, operatively connected to the network ona server side of the enterprise wide system, to the portable fieldcomputer. The method further includes updating the generic electroniccontrol board by electronically transferring at least a portion of theconfiguration data and/or the control data from the portable fieldcomputer to the generic electronic control board. The method alsoincludes commanding the portable field computer to perform a diagnosticprocedure on the appliance via the generic electronic control boardwhile the appliance is operating. In accordance with variousembodiments, the generic electronic control board may or may not beinstalled in the appliance during the updating. At least one of theupdating step and the downloading step of the method may use a productnumber code (PNC)/engineering level code (ELC) to identify a model ofthe appliance. Alternatively, at least one of the updating step and thedownloading step of the method may use a service kit code (SKC) toidentify a spare part for the generic electronic control board. Themethod may further include the portable field computer displaying acurrent state of the appliance and/or displaying a graph showing anevolution over time of at least one relevant parameter during thediagnostic procedure. The method may also include the portable fieldcomputer reporting service information back to a web server on theserver side of the enterprise wide system via the network in response toperforming the diagnostic procedure and/or receiving instructions from aweb server on the server side of the enterprise wide system via thenetwork instructing a user of the portable field computer to performcertain actions to verify malfunctioning of the appliance. The methodmay further include transmitting data for the generic electronic controlboard from a factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory ofthe enterprise wide system to at least one of a product software storage(PSS) database server and a technical documentation system (TDS)database server on a server side of the enterprise wide system. Themethod may further include transmitting data for the generic electroniccontrol board from a research and development computer-based apparatuslocated at a research and development facility of the enterprise widesystem to at least one of a product software storage (PSS) databaseserver and a technical documentation system (TDS) database server on aserver side of the enterprise wide system. The method may also include auser of the portable field computer requesting a license, via thenetwork, from a web site hosted on a web server on a server side of theenterprise wide system.

The method may also include an administrator of the enterprise widesystem managing licenses, accounts, roles, and logs from a web sitehosted on a web server on a server side of the enterprise wide system.The method may further include a user of a computer-based apparatus at aservice center of the enterprise wide system requesting a license from aweb site hosted on a web server on a server side of the enterprise widesystem.

These and other features of the claimed invention, as well as details ofillustrated embodiments thereof, will be more fully understood from thefollowing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the general architectureof an enterprise wide system for configuring, diagnosing, and updatingappliances;

FIG. 2 illustrates a slightly more detailed embodiment of the generalarchitecture of FIG. 1, delineating a client side and a server side;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a start page as displayedby a client software application on a client PC in the field;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featuresidentification form as displayed by a client software application on aclient PC in the field;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featureshistory form as displayed by a client software application on a clientPC in the field;

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a diagnosticfeatures monitor form as displayed by a client software application on aclient PC in the field;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featurestroubleshooting list as displayed by a client software application on aclient PC in the field;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featurestroubleshooting procedure as displayed by a client software applicationon a client PC in the field;

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featuresgraph form as displayed by a client software application on a client PCin the field;

FIGS. 11-14 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a board configurationfeatures form as displayed by a client software application on a clientPC in the field;

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a web servicearchitecture of an enterprise wide system for configuring, diagnosing,and updating appliances;

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an update dialog box asdisplayed by a client software application on a client PC;

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an appliance connectionkit used to connect a client PC to an appliance in the field; and

FIGS. 18A-18B illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the applianceconnection kit of FIG. 17 connected to a generic reconfigurable circuitboard of an appliance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments and features of the present invention, as describedherein, may be referred to with respect to the term “sidekick” (e.g.,the sidekick system, the sidekick architecture, the sidekick PC, etc.).The terms “board”, “generic board”, “electronic board”, “programmablegeneric service board”, “programmable generic electronic board”,“control board”, “reconfigurable circuit board”, “generic electroniccontrol board”, and “electronic controller” of an appliance are usedherein interchangeably.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the general architectureof an enterprise wide system 100 for providing appliance field supportsuch as, for example, configuring, diagnosing, and updating appliances.The system 100 provides web service integration and local databaseshaving information about the various appliance models. The system 100provides an open architecture through integration with web services andprovides an extensible test executive through .NET plugins, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Continuousimprovements may be delivered via the internet.

The system 100 includes a personal computer (PC) 110 (e.g., a portablefield computer) that is capable of interfacing (operatively connecting)between an appliance 120 and a network 130 such as, for example, theinternet or an intranet. The PC may be of any various types such as, forexample, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a personal digital assistant(PDA), or a mobile telephone. The system 100 also includes a web server140 capable of being accessed via the network 130 and providing webservices and serving as a portal site.

The system 100 further includes a central system database server 150 (afirst database server) operatively connected to the web server 140. Thesystem database server 150 contains the system database and replicationcapability. The system 100 also includes a product software storage(PSS) database server 160 (a second database server) and a technicaldocumentation system (TDS) database server 170 (a third database server)each operatively connected to the central system database server 150.

The PSS database server 160 is a SQL server database in which factoryand research and development personnel may insert data for electronicboards (e.g., programmable generic service boards). The PSS databaseserver 160 contains all data for each manufactured product (appliance)including firmware and configuration files. Such data may be replicateddaily, for example, from a computer-based apparatus located at eachfactory or research and development facility towards the PSS 160. TheTDS database server 170 is a SQL server database in which factory andresearch and development personnel may similarly insert technicaldocumentation about electronic appliances. The TDS server 170 providesinformation on spare parts, user manuals, service manuals, and servicebulletins.

FIG. 2 illustrates a slightly more detailed embodiment of the generalarchitecture of FIG. 1, delineating a client side configuration 210 anda server side configuration 220. The client side 210 includes the PC110, the appliance 120, and the network 130. The client side 210 furtherincludes connectivity hardware 230 for connecting the PC 110 to anelectronic board of the appliance 120. The network 130 may be considereda part of the server side 220 or may be considered to be between theclient side 210 and the server side 220, in accordance with variousother embodiments of the present invention.

The connectivity hardware 230 may include various cables and acommunication module as described later herein. For example, theconnectivity hardware 230 may allow for a universal serial bus (USB)interface between the PC 110 and the appliance 120. An applianceconnection kit provides a USB module and all cables that allow operativecommunication between the PC 110 and the appliance under test 120. Inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention, theconnectivity hardware 230 may be replaced by a wireless connection.

The connection configuration may include a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile telephone, or a notebook computer capable of connectingto the server side portal via the network 130, and capable of connectingto an electronic board of the appliance 120 via a proper connector cableor via a wireless connection (e.g., a Bluetooth® connection) in order todownload software directly from the server side portal. For example, auser may connect and enter a code of the appliance 120, causing thesystem 100 to automatically provide the user with the lastupdate/upgraded version of the software. It is possible to update andre-configure electronic boards and interact directly with an electroniccontroller of an appliance (e.g., to perform a diagnostic procedure)while an appliance is operating.

The server side 220 includes the web server 140, the system databaseserver 150, the PSS database server 160, and the TDS database server170. Several firewalls may exist at various points in the architecture.A firewall 240 may exist between the network 130 on the client side 210and the web server 140 on the server side 220. Furthermore, a firewall250 may exist between the system database server 150 and the PSSdatabase server 160. Also, a firewall 260 may exist between the systemdatabase server 150 and the TDS database server 170. The system databaseserver 150 may communicate with each of the PSS database server 160 andthe TDS database server 170 over a virtual private network (VPN), forexample. The firewalls and the VPN serve to protect against unauthorizedelectronic access to the server side 220 of the system 100.

The PC 110 (also known as the sidekick PC because it acts as a sidekickto the field technician) runs a client software application. The clientsoftware application includes a plurality of computer-executableinstructions for performing certain client-side functions as describedherein. For example, the client software application provides a uniform(i.e., universal) user interface approach to field service activities,regardless of the actual appliance type under test (i.e., the userinterface is common across all appliances of the enterprise). A sidekickportal section of the web server 140 provides a centralized and easytool for all management activities. A sidekick web site hosted on theweb server 140 allows both individual technicians or service centers torequest licenses and administrators to manage licenses, accounts, roles,log, etc. A sidekick web service portion of the web server 140 allowsclients (via a PC 110) to download updates from the database server 150.

Information may be retrieved regarding configuration and diagnostic datafrom a replica obtained from the PSS 160. The PSS 160 containsinformation about electronic appliances from many production plants andits contents are updated daily. Data is encrypted prior to sending thedata to the service operators that are involved in a field test. Suchencryption protects the intellectual property of the enterprise. Onlythe client software application is able to decrypt the information. Theclient software application may support a plurality of languages (e.g.,English, Italian, Spanish, French).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a start page 300 asdisplayed by a client software application on a client PC 110 in thefield. The start page 300 allows a user of the client softwareapplication to select a desired operation. For example, the user mayselect to diagnose an appliance 310 or configure a control board for theappliance 320.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featuresidentification form 400 as displayed by a client software application ona client PC 110 in the field. If the user chooses the diagnostic option310, then the client software application on the PC 110 connects to theelectronic board in the appliance 120 and automatically identifies theappliance under test 120. The identification form 400 displaysidentification and configuration data, an example of which is shown inFIG. 4. The user may then select the history option 410 or the monitoroption 420.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featureshistory form 500 as displayed by a client software application on aclient PC 110 in the field. When the history option 410 is selected, ahistory form 500 shows counters and other information about the pastoperation of the appliance, if available. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustratean exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic features monitor form 600 asdisplayed by a client software application on a client PC 110 in thefield. When the monitor option 420 is selected, a monitor form 600 showsthe current state 630 of the appliance under test 120. The monitor form600 allows the user to execute diagnostic activities. Selecting thestart test command 610 allows a selected diagnostic test 620 to beperformed. Selecting the troubleshoot command 640 allows atroubleshooting procedure to be displayed and selected.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featurestroubleshooting list 800 as displayed by a client software applicationon a client PC 110 in the field. The troubleshooting procedure may beselected from the troubleshooting list 800 which depends on theappliance under test 120. Selecting the start command 810 allows theselected troubleshooting procedure 820 to begin.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a diagnostic featurestroubleshooting procedure 900 as displayed by a client softwareapplication on a client PC 110 in the field. A troubleshooting procedure900 includes a series of dialog boxes that guide a user towards theactual reason of a detected fault. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplaryembodiment of a diagnostic features graph form 1000 as displayed by aclient software application on a client PC 110 in the field. The graphform 1000 shows the evolution over time of relevant parameters (e.g.,current drum speed) during diagnostic operations.

FIGS. 11-14 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a board configurationfeatures form 1100 as displayed by a client software application on aclient PC 110 in the field. If the user chooses the “configure a controlboard” option 320 from the start page 300, the configuration form 1100is displayed. The configuration form 1100 allows a user to configure (orupdate) an electronic board starting either from the product number code(PNC)/engineering level code (ELC) which identifies the appliance model,or from the corresponding service kit code (SKC) which identifies thespare part for the electronic board. After specifying the code, thenumber of boards to configure may be inserted (see FIG. 12). Afterspecifying the number of boards to configure, the configuration of theboard or the update of the appliance may be started (see FIG. 13). Inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the boardconfiguration process takes a reasonable amount of time (e.g., anywherefrom 10 to 60 seconds). When the configuring is completed, the result(e.g., programming OK, programming FAILED, total time) of the operationis displayed (see FIG. 14).

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, theelectronic boards have reprogrammable memories (e.g., flashmicrocontrollers). The electronic design is based on platforms withsoftware update and reconfiguration capabilities. The control firmwareon the board may be completely reprogrammed using a standard protocol. Afew programmable generic electronic board types are able to effectivelyreplace a large number of different models/boards in various appliances.As used herein, the term generic board refers to an electronic boardthat is universal in the sense that it may be programmed to accommodatean appliance for any model of the appliance or for any appliance type ofthe enterprise wide system.

A standard interface is provided (hardware/connector and communicationprotocol) which is easily accessible by field service technicians orengineers. The control firmware is organized to allow access (read andwrite) to all key information linked to the product process control. Aboard may be configured to customize a generic spare part board tochange a defective board of an appliance, to fix a “bug” on the board ofthe appliance, or to upgrade/update the board of an appliance to alatest version, all within the home of a customer.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a web servicearchitecture 1500 of an enterprise wide system for configuring,diagnosing, and updating appliances. In the architecture 1500, aplurality of users may connect to the web server 140 via the network130. The sidekick web service allows clients, via a sidekick client PC110 (e.g., a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a PDA), to download updates fromthe central sidekick database 150. FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplaryembodiment of an update dialog box 1600 as displayed by a clientsoftware application on a personal computer 110. The sidekick webservice integrates with the sidekick PC 110. Field service engineers mayperiodically obtain updates (e.g., software, control data, configurationdata) from the central database 150 by means of the update dialog box1600 in the sidekick PC 110. The web service is accessed by means of aninternet or intranet URL 1610. The “start update” button 1620 allows theupdate operation to begin on the local database.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an appliance connectionkit 1700 used to connect a personal computer 110 to an appliance 120 inthe field. The kit 1700 includes a USB cable 1710, appliance cables1720, and an Appliance Mini Interface (AMI) 1730 (i.e., a communicationmodule). FIGS. 18A-18B illustrate an exemplary embodiment of theappliance connection kit 1700 of FIG. 17 connected to a genericreconfigurable circuit board 1800 (i.e., a generic electronic controlboard also known as a programmable generic service board) of anappliance 120. The USB cable 1710 is connected between the PC 110 andthe AMI 1730. An appliance cable 1720 is connected between the AMI 1730and the board 1800 of the appliance 120. The board 1800 may beconfigured or updated while installed in the appliance 120 (FIG. 18A) orwhile un-installed (FIG. 18B). In accordance with another embodiment ofthe present invention, the connection kit 1700 may be simplified byproviding a single cable connecting the client PC 110 to thereconfigurable circuit board 1800 of the appliance 120, for example, viaa USB port provided directly on the appliance 120 and accessible fromthe outside without having to open the appliance.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the client PC110 may report service information back to the server side 220 of thesystem 100 via the network 130. Such service information may include,for example, diagnostic results and resolution steps taken. Costinformation and labor time may also be reported in this manner. The usermay connect a PC 110 to the electronic board 1800 (wirelessly or via acable connection) and access the server side portal and the enterprisesupport center via the portal in order to dialog with the electronicboard 1800 for diagnostic purposes or maintenance purposes. Such dialogmay be accomplished under the supervision of the user such that the usermay be asked by the system to perform certain actions to verifymalfunctioning, for example. That is, the portable field computer 110 iscapable of receiving instructions from the web server 140 of theserver-side configuration 220 of the enterprise wide system 100 via thenetwork 130 instructing a user of the portable field computer 110 toperform certain actions to verify malfunctioning of the appliance 120.However, many field service operations may occur while the portablefield computer 110 is not connected to the web server 140. In suchsituations, field service engineers download updates from the webservice on a periodic basis. This information is stored to the portablefield computer 110 and is later used by the system during diagnostic andboard configuration activities.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, theelectronic board 1800 may be capable of connecting (wired or wirelessly)to an external modem where the external modem is capable of entering theserver side portal via the network 130. The enterprise support centermay dialog with the electronic board to update or to monitor the boardon a periodic basis. The external modem may be used by other appliancesas well which are located in a person's home for the same purpose. In afurther embodiment, the modem may be implemented directly inside theappliance as an integrated modem.

In summary, disclosed is a system and methods to provide appliance fieldsupport personnel with a tool that, together with proper interfacemodules, simplifies the execution of diagnostic procedures and providesan easy way to configure, reconfigure, or update electronic boards inthe home on a client side of an enterprise wide system. The electronicboards serve as electronic controllers in the appliances and areprogrammable generic service boards. With such a system, it is possibleto update and re-configure electronic boards and interact directly withan electronic controller of an appliance while an appliance isoperating. Software, configuration data, and control data are downloadedfrom a server-side configuration of the enterprise wide system to updatethe electronic boards.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will includeall embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A server-side configuration of an enterprise widesystem to provide appliance field support, said server-sideconfiguration comprising: a web server, serving as a portal site,configured to be accessed by a portable field computer of a client-sideconfiguration of said enterprise wide system via a first network; afirst database server operatively connected to said web server, whereinsaid first database server is a central system database server storingat least one of appliance software updates, appliance configurationdata, and appliance control data; a second database server operativelyconnected to said first database server, wherein said second databaseserver is a product software storage (PSS) database server configured toreceive and store data for programmable generic service boards; and athird database server operatively connected to said first databaseserver, wherein said third database server is a technical documentationsystem (TDS) database server.
 2. The server-side configuration of claim1 further comprising at least one factory computer-based apparatuslocated at a factory of said enterprise wide system and operativelyconnected to at least one of said second database server and said thirddatabase server via a second network.
 3. The server-side configurationof claim 1 further comprising at least one research and developmentcomputer-based apparatus located at a research and development facilityof said enterprise wide system and operatively connected to at least oneof said second database server and said third database server via asecond network.
 4. The server-side configuration of claim 1 wherein saidPSS database server stores data for each manufactured appliance of saidenterprise wide system, wherein said data includes at least firmware andconfiguration files.
 5. The server-side configuration of claim 1 whereinsaid TDS database server is configured to receive technicaldocumentation of appliances from at least one factory computer-basedapparatus located at a factory of said enterprise wide system and fromat least one research and development computer-based apparatus locatedat a research and development facility of said enterprise wide systemvia a second network.
 6. The server-side configuration of claim 1wherein said web server includes a web service portion allowing clients,via portable field computers, to download data and software updates fromsaid first database server.
 7. The server-side configuration of claim 1wherein said server-side configuration provides an open architecturethrough integration with web services and provides an extensible testexecutive through software plugins.
 8. The server-side configuration ofclaim 1 further comprising at least one firewall and at least onevirtual private network (VPN) operatively implemented to provideprotection against unauthorized electronic access to said server-sideconfiguration of said enterprise wide system.
 9. The server-sideconfiguration of claim 1 wherein said web server hosts a web siteallowing individual technicians and service centers to request licenses,and allowing administrators to manage licenses, accounts, roles, andlogs.
 10. A method to provide appliance field support for an enterprisewide system having a client side and a server side, said methodcomprising: operatively connecting a portable field computer to ageneric electronic control board of an appliance on a client side of anenterprise wide system; operatively connecting said portable fieldcomputer to a network on said client side of said enterprise widesystem; transmitting data for said generic electronic control board froma factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory of saidenterprise wide system to at least one of a product software storage(PSS) database server and a technical documentation system (TDS)database server on a server side of said enterprise wide system;downloading at least one of configuration data and control data from aserver, operatively connected to said network on a server side of saidenterprise wide system, to said portable field computer; updating saidgeneric electronic control board by electronically transferring at leasta portion of said at least one of configuration data and control datafrom said portable field computer to said generic electronic controlboard; and commanding said portable field computer to perform adiagnostic procedure on said appliance via said generic electroniccontrol board while said appliance is operating.
 11. The method of claim10 wherein said generic electronic control board is installed in saidappliance during said updating.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein saidgeneric electronic control board is not installed in said applianceduring said updating.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one ofsaid updating and said downloading uses a product number code(PNC)/engineering level code (ELC) to identify a model of saidappliance.
 14. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of saidupdating and said downloading uses a service kit code (SKC) to identifya spare part for said generic electronic control board.
 15. The methodof claim 10 further comprising said portable field computer displaying acurrent state of said appliance.
 16. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising said portable field computer displaying a graph showing anevolution, over time, of at least one relevant parameter during saiddiagnostic procedure.
 17. The method of claim 10 further comprising saidportable field computer reporting service information back to a webserver on said server side of said enterprise wide system via saidnetwork in response to performing said diagnostic procedure.
 18. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising said portable field computerreceiving instructions from a web server on said server side of saidenterprise wide system via said network instructing a user of saidportable field computer to perform certain actions to verifymalfunctioning of said appliance.
 19. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising a user of said portable field computer requesting a license,via said network, from a web site hosted on a web server on a serverside of said enterprise wide system.
 20. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising a user of a computer-based apparatus at a service center ofsaid enterprise wide system requesting a license from a web site hostedon a web server on a server side of said enterprise wide system.
 21. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising an administrator of saidenterprise wide system managing at least one of licenses, accounts,roles, and logs using a web site hosted on a web server on a server sideof said enterprise wide system.
 22. An enterprise wide system to provideappliance field support for a plurality of appliance types, saidenterprise wide system comprising: a client-side configuration includinga portable field computer having a client software application residingthereon providing a universal user interface which is common across allappliance types of said enterprise wide system, and an applianceconfigured to operatively communicate with said portable field computerand having a programmable generic service board configured to beprogrammed for any appliance type of said enterprise wide system; aserver-side configuration including a web server, a central systemdatabase server operatively connected to said web server, a productsoftware storage (PSS) database server operatively connected to saidcentral system database server, and a technical documentation system(TDS) database server operatively connected to said central systemdatabase server; and a network configured to communicatively connectsaid portable field computer of said client-side configuration to saidweb server of said server-side configuration.
 23. A method to provideappliance field support for an enterprise wide system having a clientside and a server side, said method comprising: operatively connecting aportable field computer to a generic electronic control board of anappliance on a client side of an enterprise wide system; operativelyconnecting said portable field computer to a network on said client sideof said enterprise wide system; transmitting data for said genericelectronic control board from a research and development computer-basedapparatus located at a research and development facility of saidenterprise wide system to at least one of the product software storage(PSS) database server and the technical documentation system (TDS)database server on a server side of said enterprise wide system;downloading at least one of configuration data and control data from aserver, operatively connected to said network on a server side of saidenterprise wide system, to said portable field computer; updating saidgeneric electronic control board by electronically transferring at leasta portion of said at least one of configuration data and control datafrom said portable field computer to said generic electronic controlboard; and commanding said portable field computer to perform adiagnostic procedure on said appliance via said generic electroniccontrol board while said appliance is operating.